Coiled filament forming apparatus



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COILE D FILAMENT FORMING APPARATUS Filed March 6, 1967 Iv Sheet 3 6r 5 Fi Q 4. I 75 r 73 I 76mg [3/25 i, I48 /46 79 7 7 15/ mvervtors: Zolfit'anW. Miktos John A. BiLLson W Their" A t tovneg.

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S Uu m .2 m w :m WBQQM m T mm m T UQ United States Patent 3,454,053COILED FILAMENT FORMING APPARATUS Zoltan W. Miklos, University Heights,and John A. Billson, Willoughby, Ohio, assignors to General ElectricCompany, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 6, 1967, Ser. No. 621,055Int. Cl. B21f 45/00, 23/00 U.S. Cl. 140-715 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates, ingeneral, to apparatus for coiling fine wire into coiled filaments forelectric incandescent lamps and other similar electrical devices. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to a wire feeding and Winding orcoiling mechanism for such apparatus.

The formation of coiled wire filaments such as are employed as lightsources in electric incandescent lamps and having straight or uncoiledend legs extending endwise from the coil, is a very exact and difficultoperation inasmuch as the filaments, in order to function properly inthe finished lamps, must be extremely uniform as to length of wire,length and diameter of the coiled portion, and number and pitch of theindividual turns of the coiled portion. The filaments must also beeconomically produced and therefore must be formed at a high rate ofspeed. To this end, filament coiling machines have been developed, andhave been in general use for many years in the lamp-making industry, forproducing such type coiled wire filaments repetitively from a continuoussupply of filament wire and at high production rates ranging up to 2000per hour or thereabouts, depending of course on various factors such aswire size, coil diameter and number of turns in the filament coil.

In the most common form of filament coil forming machine in useheretofore to produce such individual filament coils having straight endlegs extending endwise from the coil, one end of the filament wire,which eventually becomes one of the filament end legs, is firmly clampedin a pair of gripper jaws which, in combination with an opposedrotatable coiling spindle having a die opening through which thefilament wire is drawn during the coiling operation from a continuoussupply of the wire on a supply reel or bobbin, initially holds thefilament wire in a position extending alongside a reciprocable mandrel.The coiling spindle is then rotated about the mandrel axis to wind thefilament wire around the mandrel. During the winding or coilingoperation, the filament wire gripper jaws and the mandrel are retractedin unison away from the coiling spindle to thereby impart the desiredpitch to the individual turns of the filament coil. When the requirednumber of turns of the filament wire have been wound around the mandrel,the rotation of the coiling spindle is stopped whereupon the filamentwire gripper jaws and the mandrel are retracted a short further distanceaway from the coiling spindle to withdraw an additional length of wirethrough the coiling spindle sufficient to form the other straight endleg of the filament. The completed filament coil is then severed fromthe remainder of the supply of filament wire, follow- "ice ing which themandrel is withdrawn from the filament coil and the gripper jaws areopened to thereby release the-completed filament.

To prevent twisting and possible breakage of the filament wire betweenthe supply bobbin and the coiling spindle during the coiling operationafactor of particular importance where the filament wire employed is ofvery fine size, e.g., as small as .001 inch wire diameter or lessthefilament wire supply bobbins of such prior filament coil formingmachines customarily have been mounted to rotate as a unit with thecoiling die during the coilir1g operation. To this end, the coiling dieand the filament wire supply bobbin, in the usual form of such priormachines, have been mounted on opposite ends of a hollow coiling spindlewhich is rotatably mounted in hearings in order to permit the rotationalmovement of the coiling spindle for the filament coiling operation. Thefilament wire from the supply bobbin is fed to the coiling spindlethrough the hollow interior of thespindle which, for that purpose, iscustomarily provided with apertured wire guides mounted internallythereof.

With such prior type filament coiling machines, the considerable mass ofthe coiling spindle assembly, comprised of the coiling die and itsassociated spindle and filament wire supply reel, places a limit on themaximum speed at which the coiling head can be elfectively started andstopped to perform the successive coiling operations. For such reason,it has been the customary practice, in order to minimize the total massof the coiling head unit and thereby permit greater coiling speeds, torespool the filament wire supply, as it is conventionally received oncomparatively large size reels from the wire drawing factory, ontorelatively small size reels or bobbins. However, besides introducing anadded cost-increasing operation to the filament coil forming process,such respooling of the filament wire onto small size bobbins alsoresults in a limitation being placed on the length of time the machinecan be operated without interruption before the bobbin must be replacedwith a full one. This period of uninterrupted operation will, of course,vary with the particular type of coiled filament being produced, but forthe more common types of coiled filaments, it averages around one-halfhour or so. Moreover, each time the bobbin is replaced, the filamentwire must be threaded through the guides in the coiling head spindle andthrough the guide opening in the coiled die itself. This threadingprocedure is a difiicult and time-consuming operation, requiring as longas one-quarter of an hour for a skilled operator to perform. It is thusevident that the necessity for periodically replacing the filament wiresupply bobbin results in an appreciable amount of so-called down or idletime for the filament coil forming machine such as materially limits theproduction rate capacity thereof.

Also, with the prior type filament coil forming machines as describedabove, the weight of the filament wire supply bobbin and the tension onthe bobbin which is necessary to keep the wire from tangling, causes atension or drag in the filament wire as it is withdrawn from the bobbinduring the coiling operation. Especially in the case where very finefilament wire is employed, this drag or tension in the filament wire,besides causing occasional breakage of the filament wire such asnecessitates the time-consuming rethreading of the wire through the wireguides in the coiling head spindle and through the coiling die itself,also causes a stretching of the coils of the wound filament,particularly the last two or three turns thereof, during the pulling ofthe trailing leg of the filament off the supply reel and out of thecoiling spindle by the retractive movement of the filament wire gripperjaws away from the coiling head. As a result, the formed filament coilsare not of exact uniform character throughout their entire coil length.The drag or tension in the filament wire as it is withdrawn from thebobbin during the coiling operation also acts to introduce additionalinternal strain into the filament wire owing to the fact that the tautwire is drawn across the rim edge of the coiling head die opening as theWire is wound around the mandrel. This added internal strain in the wirethen increases the tendency of the coiled filaments to distort whensubsequently heated to incandescence during the operation of the lamp inwhich they are incorporated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention, therefore, toprovide a fully automatic filament coil forming apparatus capable ofproducing coiled lamp filaments of the type having straight ends legsextending endwise therefrom at materially higher speeds than heretoforepossible.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filament coil formingapparatus which is adapted to produce coiled lamp filaments of theabove-mentioned type and which has a materially higher productioncapacity than prior type apparatus.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a filament coilforming apparatus for producing coiled lamp filaments of theabove-mentioned type at high production speeds and with improved coiluniformity and decreased susceptibility to distortion when operated inthe finished lamps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a filament coil formingapparatus for producing coiled lamp filaments of the above-mentionedtype at appreciably higher speeds than heretofore possible and which iscapable of operating uninterruptedly for materially longer periods oftime and with appreciably less idle time than previous apparatus.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a filament coilforming apparatus capable of producing coiled lamp filaments of theabove-mentioned type at high production speeds and with appreciablydecreased susceptibility to and frequency of breakage of the filamentwire supply as compared to that of prior type apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide a filament coil formingapparatus in which the procedure for threading the supply of filamentwire into the coiling head of the apparatus is greatly simplified, andthe time required to perform such threading operation is materiallyreduced, as compared to that of prior type apparatus.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, thefilament coiling apparatus is constructed to cut off predeterminedlengths of filament wire from a continuous supply of filament wire on asupply reel and successively feed the precut wire lengths endwise intothe rotatable coiling die of the apparatus for coiling into filaments.Only the coiling die of the apparatus is mounted for rotation about theaxis of the associated mandrel to coil the wire lengths therearound, thesevering from the wire supply of each individual filament wire lengthprior to the coiling thereof around the mandrel serving to obviate theneed for rotating the filament wire supply and feeding mechanism as aunit with the coiling die during the coiling operation. A materialreduction in the mass of those parts of the apparatus (i.e., the coilingspindle unit) which must be rotated to perform the coiling operation isthereby made possible, in consequence of which the starting and stoppingof the rotational movement of the coiling spindle during each wirecoiling cycle is greatly facili tated and appreciably higher coilingspeeds are thereby rendered attainable. The severing of each individualwire length from the remainder of the supply of filament wire prior tothe coiling operation also serves to eliminate all drag on the filamentwire during the coiling operation and subsequent drawing of the trailingstraight end leg of the filament coil out of the coiling spindle. As aresult, stretching of the turns of the coiled filament is eliminated .4so that coiled filaments of greater uniformity and freedom fromdistortion under lamp operating conditions are produced by the apparatusaccording to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further objects and advantages of theinvention will appear from the following description of a speciesthereof and from the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of filament coiling andforming apparatus comprising the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the filament wire feeding means and coilinghead of the apparatus together with the associated filament wire gripperand retractable mandrel, with the coiling head shown in section;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. .5 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of thefilament wire retention fingers and feeding jaws of the apparatus;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the camactuated operatingmeans for the filament wire feeding and cut-off mechanism of theapparatus;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of the intermittent drive mechanismfor the coiling head of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the filament wire feeding andcut-off mechanism of the apparatus;

FIG. 9 is an end elevation, partly in section, of the coiling head andassociated gear drive means; and

FIGS. 10-15 are plan views of the filament wire feeding and coilingmechanism of the apparatus illustrating the successive operationsperformed thereby during each filament coil forming cycle of theapparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, theinvention is there illustrated as embodied in filament coil formingapparatus adapted to form coiled Wire filaments 1 (FIG. 12) of tungstenor other refractory metal and comprised of a linear coil portion 2having straight wire end legs 3, 4 extending endwise therefrom. Thefilament coil forming apparatus comprises, in its general organization,a coiling head A and a wire-gripping slide head B mounted in opposedrelation on the upper side of a bedplate or base member 5 adjustablymounted on a table 6.

In accordance with the invention, the filament wire 7 to be formed intothe coiled filaments 1 is supplied to the coiling head A by wire feedingmeans C adapted to successively withdraw and cut off predeterminedlengths 8 of the filament wire 7 from a supply reel or spool 9 thereofand then feed the individual precut wire lengths 8 successively into thecoiling head A for coiling around a steel mandrel 10 normally projectingtoward the coiling head from the nose of a filament wire gripper means11 carried by the slide head B. The precut wire lengths 8 are fedendwise into the coiling head A by the wire feeding means C a distancesuch that a portion of their leading free end, of sufiicient length toform the front leg 3 of the completed filament 1, protrudes from thecoiling head A toward the opposing slide head B.

At the start of the wire coiling operation, this protruding front legportion 3 of the filament wire length 8 is clamped by the filament wiregripper means 11 of the slide head B to thereby hold the wire length 8lengthwise of and immediately contiguous the mandrel 10 carried by theslide head B (FIG. 14). The coiling head A is then rotated about theaxis of the mandrel 10 while the wire gripper means 11 and mandrel 10are simultaneously retracted at a uniform speed from the coiling head,in a direction longitudinally of the mandrel 10, to thereby cause thewire length 8 to be drawn through the coiling head and coiled around themandrel. When the desired number of coil turns have been thus formed,

the rotation of the coiling head is discontinued, whereupon the filamentwire gripper means 11 and mandrel are retracted a further distance awayfrom the coiling head so as to completely withdraw therefrom theremaining uncoiled trailing end portion of the wire length 8, which endportion constitutes the other or trailing end leg 4 of the completedfilament 1. Thereupon, the mandrel 10 is withdrawn into and beyond thewire gripper means 11 of the slide head B to strip the coiled filament 1from the mandrel, and the wire gripper means 11 then opened to releasethe completed filament 1 and permit its removal from the apparatus.

Coiling head mechanism As shown more particularly in FIGS. 3 and 9, thecoiling head A comprises a rotatable coiling spindle consisting solelyof a die 12 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis coincident withthe axis of the horizontally disposed opposed mandrel 10 carried 'by theslide head B. The coiling spindle 12 is provided with a horizontalmandrel guide opening 13 parallel to the axis of rotation of the coilingspindle and aligned with the mandrel 10, and also with a horizontalfilament wire guide passageway 14 oifset a slight distance to one sideof and parallel to the mandrel guide opening 13. The extent of offset ofthe wire guide passageway 14 from the mandrel guide opening 13corresponds to the extent of offset desired for the filament end legs 3,4 from the axis of the coil section 2 of the completed filament 1. Themandrel guide opening 13 is adapted to snugly receive and support theprojecting free end of the mandrel 10 throughout that period of thefilament forming operation during which the filament wire is being woundor coiled around the mandrel.-

The filament wire guide passageway 14 is adapted to closely receive theprecut filament wire lengths 8 and guide their forward or leading endsinto the filament wire gripper 11 of the slide head B, as well as toguide the wire lengths 8 onto the mandrel 10 during the subsequentwinding or coiling operation.

As mentioned hereinbefore, in the usual prior type apparatus forproducing coiled filaments 1 of the particular form here involved, thefree end portion of the supply of filament wire 7 on the supply spool issuccessively formed into coiled filaments 1 which are cut off, as eachfilament is formed, from the remainder of the filament wire supply onthe spool. Such an operating procedure necessarily requires that thefilament wire supply spool and associated wire feeding mechanism berotated as a unit along with the coiling head die 12 during the windingor coiling of the filament wire 7 around the mandrel 10, in order tothereby avoid twisting and resultant breakage of that portion of thefilament wire supply extending between the coiling head and the filamentwire supply spool. In contrast to such prior operating procedure, thefilament wire supply 7 is, in accordance with the present invention,first precut into predetermined wire lengths 8, each of the exact lengthrequired to form one of the completed filaments 1, and the precut wirelengths 8 then successively fed endwise into and wound by the coilingspindle or die 12 around the mandrel 10. Such a manner of operation thusobviates the need for rotating the filament wire supply spool 9 andassociated wire feeding mechanism C as a unit with the coiling spindleor die 12 during the coiling operation, to prevent twisting andresultant breakage of the filament wire 7. In consequence thereof, thecoiling head spindle or die 12 need not be made unitary with thefilament wire supply spool 9 and the associated wire feeding mechanismC. Accordingly, in the filament coil forming apparatus according to theinvention, only the coiling die or spindle 12 is mounted for rotationabout the axis of the mandrel 10 to coil the wire lengths 8 therearound,the filament wire supply spool 9 and associated wire feeding mechanism Cbeing mounted independently of the coiling spindle 12, i.e., non-unitarytherewith, so as not to rotate along with the coiling spindle during thewire coiling operation. An appreciable reduction in the mass of therotating parts of the coiling head A, as compared to that in priorconventional type filament coil forming apparatus, is thereby achieved,the coiling die or spindle 12 being a relatively small size unit ofcomparatively little mass.

The coiling die or spindle 12 is rotatably mounted, as by means ofroller bearings 15 (FIG. 3), in an upstanding bearing bracket or housing16 fastened to a support block 17 secured to the bedplate 5 of theapparatus. During the wire coiling time period of each filament formingcycle, the coiling spindle 12 is rotated to effect the coiling of thewire length 8 around the mandrel 10. This intermittent rotation of thecoiling spindle 12 is imparted thereto by a spur or drive gear 18intermeshed with a unitary spur gear 19 on the coiling spindle 12. Forthis purpose, the bearing block 16 is hollowed out, as shown at 20 inFIG. 9, to accommodate the drive gear 18 therein so as to permit itsintermeshing engagement with the unitary spur gear 19 on the coilingspindle 12. The drive gear 18 is fastened onto one end of a horizontallyextending coiling head drive shaft 21 rotatably mounted on the supportblock 17. Fastened to the other end of the shaft 21 is a spur gear 22(FIG. 1) which is driven, through an intermeshing spur gear 23 and anassociated train of spur gears 24, 25, by an auxiliary or intermittentdrive shaft 26 located beneath the table 6. The auxiliary drive shaft 26is intermittently rotated by an intermittent drive gear 27, i.e., onehaving gear teeth around only a part of its peripheral extent, whichgear 27 meshes with a pinion gear 28 fastened on the auxiliary driveshaft. The intermittent drive gear 27 is unitarily fastened to, androtates as a unit with, a worm gear 29 which is fastened on thehorizontally extending main drive shaft 30 of the apparatus. The wormgear 29 is driven by a worm 31 on worm shaft 32 which is driven by anelectric motor and speed reducer combination (not shown).

In the operation of the apparatus, the intermittent gear 27 iscontinuously rotated by the intermeshed worm 31 and worm gear 29. Theauxiliary or intermittent drive shaft 26, however, is driven by theintermittent gear 27, and thus drives the main coiling head drive shaft21, only when the pinion gear 28 on shaft 26 is meshed with the toothedsegment portion 33 of the intermittent gear 27. One full revolution ofthe worm gear 29 and the associated intermittent gear 27 and main driveshaft 30 effects one full filament forming cycle of the apparatus, andthe gear ratios of gears 23, 24 and 25 are properly selected, relativeto the gear ratio of the pinion gear 28 and intermittent gear 27 and thenumber of teeth in the toothed segment portion 33 thereof, so that onerevolution of the intermittent gear 27 will rotate the coiling spindle12 through the required number of revolutions to wind the requirednumber of turns of each filament wire length 8 around the mandrel 10 toform the coil portion 2 of the completed filament 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary or intermittent drive shaft 26, andthus the coiling head drive shaft 21 and coiling spindle 12, are allpositively locked against rotation, during the time the pinion gear 28on shaft 26 is out of meshed engagement with the intermittent gear 27,by the riding engagement of a concavely indented peripheral section 34of a stop disc or shoe 35, fastened on the intermittent drive shaft 26,with the arcuate cam track portion 36 of a locking cam segment 37fastened on the intermittent gear 27, the cam track 36 being concentricwith the intermittent gear 27. The indented section 34 of the stop disc35 conforms to the curvature of, and engages with the leading end 38 ofthe cam track 36 immediately following the disengagement of the teeth 33on the intermittent gear 27 from the pinion gear 28 on shaft 26, duringthe rotational movement of the intermittent gear 27. The cam segment 37loses control of the stop disc 35 and associated shaft 26, therebyper-mitting them to turn freely once again, as soon as the trailing end39 of the cam track 36 passes beyond the center point 40 of theconcavely indented section 34 of the stop disc 35, which occurs justbefore the toothed segment portion 33 of the intermittent gear 27 meshesonce again with the pinion gear 28. As shown in FIG. 7, the center point40 of the indented section 34 of stop disc 35 lies on the center line 41passing through the respective axes of the two shafts 26 and 30 when theindented section 34 is in engagement with the cam track 36.

Because of the comparatively small size, and therefore greatly reducedmass of the coiling spindle 12, the forces required to overcome both thestatic and the dynamic inertia of the coiling spindle, in order to startand stop the rotational movement thereof during each wire coiling cycle,are therefore greatly decreased from that required in the case of priorconventional type filament coil forming apparatus such as describedhereinbefore. As a consequence, the starting and stopping of therotational movement of the coiling spindle 12 is facilitated to such adegree as to permit greatly increased coiling speeds for the apparatus.To this end, the speed ratio of the coiling spindle gear 19 and itsdrive gear 18 may be made as high as 8 to 1 or thereabouts, so that thecoiling spindle 12 will turn through eight revolutions for eachrevolution of the drive gear 18. Such a high speed ratio is many timeshigher than that which could be tolerated heretofore in prior typefilament coil forming apparatus. As a result, the filament coil formingap aratus according to the invention is capable of producing coiledfilaments 1 at greatly increased roduction rates as much as 50% and morehigher than heretofore possible.

Wire feed mechanism The wire lengths 8 are successively fed into thecoiling head A by the wire feeding and cut-off mechanism C, shown moreparticularly in FIGS. 3, 4 and 8. In its manner of operation, the wirefeeding mechanism C functions to successively withdraw and cut off thewire lengths 8 from the supply of filament wire 7 on the supply spool 9and feed them one by one endwise into the coiling head A for theirformation into completed coiled filaments 1.

The Wire feeding mechanism C is mounted on the upper side of thebedplate in a position on the opposite side of the coiling head A fromthe slide head B and, in its general organization, is comprised of afilament wire supply 7 on the supply spool 9, a filament wire retentionmeans 42 through which the filament wire supply 7 passes and by which itis frictionally retained in place after each wire length 8 is drawn offand severed from the spooled wire supply 7, a filament wire transport orfeed jaw means comprised of primary and secondary sets of feed jaws 43and 44, respectively, for withdrawing the predetermined lengths 8 of thefilament wire 7 off the supply spool 9 and, after the cut-off of eachwire length 8 from the remainder of the supply of filament wire 7,transporting the precut wire length 8 endwise into the coiling head A,and a cutoff mechanism 45 for severing the wire lengths 8 from thefilament Wire supply 7.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply spool 9 of filament Wire 7 isrotatably mounted on a support bracket 46 fastened on and upstandingfrom the bedplate 5 of the apparatus. The spool 9 is spring-clampedbetween a pair of opposed cone-shaped bearings 47 and 48 which fit intothe axial center bore of the spool 9 and are mounted on roller bearings(not shown) carried by the arms of the yoke-shaped upper end of thesupport bracket 46 for rotation about an axis transverse to the axis ofrotation of the coiling head spindle 12. One of the bearing cones, e.g.,bearing cone 47, is axially spring-loaded, as by means of a compressioncoil spring 49 pressing thereagainst, so that the spool 9 isspring-clamped with a comparatively light spring pressure between thetwo bearing cones 47 and 48.

The filament wire retention means 42, as shown more particularly inFIGS. 5 and 8, comprises a stationary flat lower finger or jaw 50 and aflat spring finger upper jaw 51 between which the supply of filamentwire 7 leading from the spool 9 is passed and is clamped at all timesduring the operation of the apparatus, the spring finger jaw 51 exertingonly a very slight spring pressure on the filament wire 7 justsufiicient to frictionally hold it in place in the jaws against anyundesired longitudinal movements such as might result, for instance,from the possible recoiling action of the supply spool 9, yet permit thefree sliding movement of the filament wire supply 7, without breakage,between the jaws 50, 51 as it is drawn off the supply spool 9 by thewire feed jaws 43 and 44. The stationary lower jaw or finger is fastenedto a support bracket 52 which is secured to the support block 17 andwhich also carries the wire cut-off mechanism 45 of the apparatus. Thespring finger upper jaw 51 is suitably secured, as by a fastening screw53, to the fixed lower jaw 50. The supply of filament wire 7 from thespool 9 first rides around the underside of a V-type idler pulley 54 andis guided within the V-groove thereof to the jaws 50, 51 of the filamentwire retention means 42. The idler pulley 54 is rotatably mounted on thesupport bracket 52.

At its forward end, the stationary lower jaw 50 of the filament wireretention means 42 is formed with an upstanding lip 55 provided with aV-shaped guide notch 56 (FIG. 5) within which the filament wire 7 isreceived and guided. The bottom of the V-notch 56 is aligned with thefilament wire 7 when, in the initial set-up adjustment of the apparatus,the filament wire 7 is stretched taut between the guide pulley 54 andthe filament wire guide opening 14 in the coiling spindle 12 with thelatter in its idle rotative position. Thus, the V-notch 56 positionsthat portion of the filament wire 7 resting within the V-notch 56 inaxial alignment with the filament wire guide opening 14 in the coilingspindle 12 when in its idle rotative position. In this connection, thecoiling spindle 12 always occupies the same idle rotative position atthe start and stop of each filament coiling operation, the coilingspindle 12 rotating through the same number of full turns during eachfilament coiling operation. The idle rotative position of the coilingspindle 12 is that rotative position thereof, shown in FIG. 9, which itoccupies during the dwell period between the successive wire coilingrotational movements of the coiling spindle, In such idle position ofthe coiling spindle 12, its mandrel guide opening 13 and filament Wireguide opening 14 are located in horizontally side-by-side relation toone another, with the filament wire guide opening 14 being located tothe rear side of the apparatu relative to the mandrel guide opening 13,i.e., to the right side of the mandrel guide opening 14 in the coilingspindle 12 as viewed from the slide head B of the apparatus.

The primary feed jaw means 43 comprises a V-shaped stationary jaw 57 anda cooperating spring-loaded pivoted jaw 58 both mounted on a main slidemember 59 which is slidably mounted on the support block 17 forhorizontal reciprocating movement toward and away from the coiling headA and parallel to the wire guide opening 14 therein. As shown moreparticularly in FIG. 4, the main slide member 59 is slidably supported,at an angular position of approximately 45 degrees to the horizontal, ona dovetail-type slide bearing bar 60 having a sliding fit within acorresponding dovetail-type slideway 61 in the under side of the slidemember 59. The slide bearing bar 60 extends horizontally, and parallelto the wire guide opening 14 in the coiling spindle 12, and it isfastened on a horizontally disposed support plate 62 adjustably mountedon an intermediate support bracket 63 for horizontal adjustmenttransversely to the wire guide opening 14 in the coiling spindle 12. Thebracket 63 is, in turn, adjustably mounted for vertical adjustment onthe support block 17.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stationary jaw 57 is formed with two spacedV-shaped jaw faces 64 against the bottom of the VS of which the filamentwire 7 is clamped by the flat face 65 of the movable jaw 58, when movedto its closed position between the two V-shaped jaw faces 64, and inwhich position the filament wire 7 is held during the advance movementof the jaws 57, 58 toward the coiling head A. The bottom of the VS ofthe jaw faces 64 are located in alignment with the filament wire guideopening 14 of the coiling spindle 12, when in its idle rotative or dwellposition, so as to locate the portion of the filament wire 7 clamped inplace in and projecting forwardly from the jaws 57, 58 in exactalignment with the said filament wire guide opening 14 in position forready insertion into the flared out back or entrance end thereof. Thejaws 57, 58 are provided on the ends of respective jaws support arms 66and 67. Jaw support arm 66 carrying the stationary jaw 57 is fixedlyfastened to the upper side of the slide 59 as by fastening screws 68,while jaw support arm 67 carrying the movable jaw 58 is pivoted on apivot pin 69 upstanding from the upper side of the slide 59 for pivotalmovement to swing the jaw 58 toward and away from the stationary jaw 57so as to open and close the two jaws 57, 58. The pivoted jaw 58 isnormally held in its closed position against the stationary jaw 57 bythe pull of a tension coil spring 70 which is connected at one end to apin 71 fastened on the jaws arm 67 and at its other end to a spring post72 on the slide 59.

The movable jaw 58 is opened by the engagement of a roller 73 on the pin71 with the cam track edge of a movable plate cam 74 which traverses thefull extent of movement of the roller 73 during the advance andretraction movement of the jaws 57, '58 by the slide 59 during theoperation of the apparatus. The plate cam 74 is arranged for movementtoward and away from the roller 73 so as to either engage it to open thejaws 57, 58 or else disengage from the roller so as to permit from theroller so as to permit the spring 70 to close the jaws 57, 58. To thisend, the plate cam 74 is fastened on the end of one arm 75 of a bellcrank lever 76 which is pivoted intermediate its ends on a horizontallyextending pivot rod 77 fastened on the upper side of the support plate62 for the slide 59. Rotatably mounted on the end of the other arm 78 ofthe bell crank lever 76 is a cam follower roller 79 which rides on thecam track periphery 80 of an edge or disc cam 81 fastened on ahorizontally extending top cam shaft 82 located above the bedplate andjournalled in bearings 83, 84 and 85 mounted thereon. The plate cam 74is normally held in a position disengaged from the follower roller 73 onthe jaw arm 67 for the pivoted jaw 58 of the primary feed jaw means 43by the pull of a tension coil spring 86 which is connected at one end toa spring post 87 fastened on the bed-plate '5 and at its other end tothe arm 78 of the bell crank lever 76, the spring 86 thereby acting tohold the cam follower roller 79 on the bell crank lever in constantengagement with the cam track periphery or edge 80 of the disc cam 81.

The slide 59 is reciprocated on its slide bearing 60, 61 to carry itfrom a retracted position as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein the primarywire feed jaws 57, 58 carried by the slide are located closely adjacentthe fingers 50, 51 of the wire retention means 42, to an advancedposition as shown in FIGS. 12-15 wherein the feed jaws 57, 58 areentered within a recess 88 in the back end of the coiling head spindle12. The linear reciprocating movement of the slide 59 on its slidehearing 60, 61 is imparted thereto by an actuating rod 89 pivotallyconnected at its opposite ends to the slide 59 and to one end of a leverarm 90 (FIG. 6) pivoted at its other end on a pivot pin 91 extendingfrom a bracket 92 mounted on the upper side of the bedplate 5. The leverarm 90 carries a cam follower roller 93 which is engaged with the camtrack of suitable cam such as, for example, a face or box cam 94 havinga cam track groove (not shown) within which the roller 93 rides. The cam94 is fastened on a horizontally extending auxiliary or cross cam shaft95 which is located above the bedplate 5 and extends transversely to thedirection of sliding movement of the slide 59. The cam shaft isjournalled in bearings 96 fastened on and upstanding from the upper sideof the bedplate 5, and it is driven by the top cam shaft 82 throughintermeshed bevel gears 97 and 98 fastened on the ends of the respectiveshafts 82 and 95.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. 3, 5 and 8, the secondary wire feedjaw means 44 of the apparatus comprises a pair of cooperating flat facedjaws 100 and 101 provided on the ends of respective jaw arms 102 and 103which are pivotally mounted on a subslide 104, as by means of respectivepivot pins 105 and 106, so as to swing the jaws 100, 101 toward and awayfrom one another to open and close them. The jaw arms 102 and 103 areformed With opposed sector gear portions 107 which are concentric withthe pivot axes of the respective jaw arms and are intermeshed with oneanother so that the two gear-interlocked jaw arms will pivot about theirrespective pivot pins 105 and 106 in unison but in opposite directions,pivotal movement of one jaw arm in one direction causing a correspondingpivotal movement of the other jaw arm in the other direction. The jaws100 and 101 are normally held in their closed position, with their flatjaw faces 108 in engagement with one another, by the force of acompression coil spring 109 (FIG. 3) which is compressed between, andreceived within well openings 110 in the heel end portions of the jawarms 102, 103. The secondary feed jaws 100, 101 are adapted to grip thefilament wire 7 while it is being drawn off the supply spool 9 by theadvancing primary feed jaws 57 and 58, and for this purpose they areproperly positioned, as by means of an adjustment screw 111 on thesubslide engaging with a stop shoulder 112 on jaw arm 102, so as to becentered relative to the filament wire 7 when the jaws 100, 101 areclosed thereagainst.

The subslide 104, like the main slide '59, is also mounted forhorizontal reciprocating movement toward and away from the coiling headA and parallel to the wire guide opening 14 therein. To this end, thesubslide 104 is slidably supported on the same dovetail-type slidebearing bar 60 that supports the main slide 59, the subslide 104 forsuch purpose being provided with a slideway 113 within which the slidebearing bar 60 has a sliding fit. For compactness purposes, the mainslide 59 is formed with a cut-away center or recessed section 114 in itsupper side to expose the slide bearing bar 60 and receive the subslide104 therewithin. The subslide 104 slides relative to the main slide 59within the recess 114 therein and on that portion of the slide bearingbar 60 which is exposed within the recess 114.

The jaws 100, 101 are opened by the engagement of a roller 115,rotatably mounted on a pin 116 on the heel end of jaw arm 103, with thecam track edge of a movable plate cam 117 which traverse the full extentof movement of the roller during the advance and retraction movement ofthe jaws 100, 101 by the subslide 104 during the operation of theapparatus. The plate cam 117, like the plate cam 74 which controls theopening and closing of the primary feed jaws 57, 58, is arranged formovement toward and away from the roller 115 so as to either engage itto open the jaws 100, 101 or else disengage from the rollers so as topermit the spring 109 to swing the jaw arms 102, 103 so as to close thejaws 100, 101 through the action of the intermeshed gear sectors 107 onthe jaw arms. To this end, the plate cam 117 is fastened on the end ofone arm 118 of a bell crank lever 119 which is pivoted intermediate itsends on the pivot rod 77. The other arm 120 (FIG. 2) of the bell cranklever 119 is provided with a cam follower roll 121 which engages withthe cam track periphery 122 of an edge or disc cam 123 fastened on thetop cam shaft 82. The plate cams 117 is normally held in a positiondisengaged from the roller 115 on jaw arm 103 by the pull of a tensionsoil spring 124 1 1 which is connected at one end to the arm 120 of thebell crank lever 119 and at its other end to a spring post (not shown)fastened on the bedplate 5, the spring 124 thereby acting to hold thecam follower roller 121 on the bell crank lever in contant engagementwith the cam track periphery or edge 122 of the disc arm 123.

The subslide 104 is reciprocated on the slide bearing bar 60 to carry itfrom a retracted position as shown in FIGS 2 and 3, wherein thesecondary wire feed jaws 100, 101 carried by the subslide are locatedclosely adjacent and between the respective sets of jaws 50, 51 and 57,58, to an advanced position as shown in FIGS. 13-15 wherein thesecondary feed jaws 100, 101 are located adjacent the back end of thecoiling head spindle 12. The linear reciprocating movement of thesubslide 104 on its slide hearing 60, 113 is imparted thereto in part byan actuating rod 125 pivotally connected at its opposite ends to thesubslide 104 and to one end of a spring-loaded lever arm 126 (FIG. 6)pivoted at its other end on a pivot pin 127 extending from a bracket 128mounted on the upper side of the bedplate 5. The lever arm 126 carries acam follower roller 129 which engages with the cam track of a suitablecam such as, for example, a face cam 130 having a cam track grooveportion 131 extending partway therearound within which the roller 129rides. The cam 130 is fastened on the auxiliary cam shaft 95. Theactuating rod 125 and associated subslide 104 ar spring-biased in abackward direction away from the coiling head A by a tension coil spring126' connected to the lever arm 126. During the course of the advancemovement of the main slide 59 and the associated primary feed jaws 57,58 to withdraw the filament wire 7 off the supply reel 9, and justbefore the secondary feed jaws 100, 101 close to grip the advancing wire7, the forwardly facing end wall 114' of the recess 114 in the mainslide 59 abuts against the back end 104 of the spring-biased subslide104 to advance the subslide in unison with the main slide 59 throughoutthe remainder of the advance movement of the main slide and asociatedprimary feed jaws 57, 58, the roller 129 on the actuating lever arm 126for the subslide 104 being disengaged from the cam 130 during thisinterval.

At the start of each filament forming cycle of the apparatus, theprimary feed jaws 57, 58 and secondary feed jaws 100, 101 are located intheir retracted position immediately contiguous to one another and tothe wire retaining jaws or fingers 50, 51 of the wire retention means42, as shown in FIG. 3 In their said retracted position, both theprimary feed jaws 57, 58 and the secondary feed jaws 100, 101 initiallyare held in their open position by the engagement of the plate cams 74and 117 with the rollers 73 and 115 on the jaw arms 67 and 103 of thejaws 58 and 101. However, as soon as the primary feed jaws 57, 58 becomethus located in their retracted position on the return strokes of theslide 59 and subslide 104, the primary feed jaws 57, 58 are closed, bythe movement of plate cam 74 out of engagement with the roller 73 on jawarm 67 through the action of disc cam 81 on the lever 76, to therebycause the jaws 57, 58 to grip the free end portion 132 (FIG. 8) of thefilament wire supply 7 which is left projecting forwardly from the wireretention fingers 50, 51 following the severance of the filament wiresupply 7 by the wire cutting mechanism 45 during the previous filamentforming cycle of the apparatus. While the length of this free end wireportion 132 left projecting from the wire retention jaws 50, 51 may varysomewhat depending on the size of the filament wire 7 and its relativestiffness and ability to support itself in a straight line extending outfrom the retention jaws 50, 51, in most cases a projecting length ofaround one-quarter inch or so has been found to be generallysatisfactory for the purposes of the invention.

Wire cut-off mechanism The wire cut-off mechanism 45 of the apparatusperates to sever from the remainder of the filament wire supply 7 thepredetermined wire lengths 8 as they are successively drawn or pulledthrough the retention fingers 50, 51 of the wire retention means 42 bythe wire feed jaw means 43 and 44 of the apparatus. As shown moreparticularly in FIGS. 4 and 8, the wire cut-off mechanism 45 comprises acooperating pair of sector-shaped rotary cutter knives 133 and 134 whichare rotatably mounted for swinging movement transversely to the wiresupply 7 to shear off the Wire length 8 from the remainder of the supplyof filament wire 7. The cutter knives 133, 134 are located slightly inadvance of the primary feed jaws 57, 58 in the retracted position of thelatter (FIG. 3), and generally above and contiguous to the portion ofthe filament wire supply 7 drawn through the retention fingers 50, 51 bythe wire feed jaw means 43 and 44. To provide clearance for the passageof the feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101 past the cutter knives 133, 134during their advance and retraction movement, the cutter knives are eachformed with a notched mid-section 135 in its arcuate periphery to serveas a passageway for the feed jaws. One of the side walls of the notchedsection of cutter knife 133, and an opposing one of the side walls ofthe notched section of the other cutter knife 134, are sloped to formcutting edges 136 at the interfaces of the two cutter knives.

As shown in FIG. 8, the cutter knives 133134 are respectively supported,in face-to-face rotative sliding relation to each other, oncorresponding ends of a shaft 137 and a sleeve 138, respectively,through which sleeve the shaft 137 extends and within which it isrotatable. The sleeve 138 is journalled in an elongated bearing portion139 of a cutter support bracket 140, which is fastened on the bracket52, for rotation about a horizontal axis essentially parallel to theportion of the filament wire supply 7 drawn through the retentionfingers 50, 51 of the apparatus by the wire feed means 43 and 44. Thecutter knives 133 and 134 are held in spring-pressed face-to-faceengagement with one another, for proper cutting action, by the force ofa compression coil spring 141 (FIG. 8) which is fitted over the otherend of the shaft 137 from the knife-carrying end thereof and thecompressive force of which is applied in opposite directions to theshaft 137 and sleeve 138 and transmitted thereby to the cutter knives.For this purpose, the spring 141 is compressed between a stop collar 142secured on the said other end of the shaft 137 by a locking pin 143fastened crosswise therein, and an internal shoulder 144 on a thrustsleeve 145 slidably mounted on the shaft 137 and abutting endwiseagainst the end of the knife-carrying sleeve 138.

Operation of the cutter knives 133, 134 to sever the filament wire 7 iseffected by rotating the shaft 137 and the sleeve 138 in oppositedirections, and thus swinging the associated cutter knives in oppositedirections so as to move their knife edges 136 toward and past oneanother to catch the filament wire 7 therebetween and sever it at thecutting plane K-K 0f the knives (FIG. 11). The rotational movement ofthe shaft 137 and sleeve 138 in opposite directions is imparted theretoby a lever arm 146 acting through a toggle type linkage comprised of apair of toggle links 147 and 148 which are pivoted at one end on acommon pivot pin 149 fastened on one end of the lever arm 146. The otherends of the toggle links 147, 148 are pivotally connected to respectiveswivel arms 150 and 151 which are rotatively interlocked with the sleeve138 and shaft 137, respectively. Swivel arm 150 extends from a collar152 fastened on the other end of sleeve 138 from the knife-carrying endthereof, the said other end of the sleeve projecting from the bearingportion 139 of the support bracket 140. The other swivel arm 151 extendsfrom the thrust sleeve 145 on the end of shaft 137 which is opposite tothe knife-carrying end thereof and which projects beyond the collar 152.The thrust sleeve 145 and shaft 137 are locked against relative rotationby means of the locking pin 143 which is fastened in the shaft 137 andwhich projects into and has a colse sliding fit within a longitudinalslot 153 in the thrust sleeve 145.

The lever 146 which actuates the toggle linkage 147, 148 and 150, 151,is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 154 (FIG. 4) carried bythe support bracket 140, and the other end of the lever 146 from the endconnected to the toggle links 147, 148 is pivotally connected by aconnecting link 155 to one yoke arm 156 of a bell crank lever 157pivoted on a pivot pin 158 carried by an intermediate support bracket159 fastened on the support block 17. The other yoke arm 160 of thelever 146 is pivotally connected to one end of a horizontally extendingactuating rod 161 which, as shown in FIG. 6, is pivotally connected atits other end to a cam follower arm 162 pivoted at one end of a pivotpin 163 carried by a bracket 164 fastened on the bedplate of theapparatus. The other end of the follower arm 162 carries a roller 165which rides in the cam track groove 166 of a face cam 167 fastened onthe auxiliary cam shaft 95. Swinging movement of the cam follower arm162 by the action of the cam 167 is transmitted through actuating rod161, bell crank lever 157, connecting link 155 and lever 146 to thetoggle links 147, 148 which then rotate the arms 150, 151 and theirassociated sleeve 138 and shaft 137 in opposite directions to therebyswing the cutter knives 133, 134 likewise in opposite directions eithertoward one another to sever the filament wire 7, or away from oneanother to return them to their retracted inoperative position (FIG. 4)wherein the peripheral notches 135 in the cutter knives aresubstantially aligned with one another and centered over the filamentwire 7 so as to provide an unobstructed passageway for the wire feedjaws 57, 58 and 100, 101 during the advance and retraction movementthereof toward and away from the coiling head A during each cycle ofoperation of the apparatus. The operation of the cutter knives 133, 134to sever the filament wire supply 7 occurs after the primary feed jaws57, 58 and secondary feed jaws 100, 101 have advanced a sufficientdistance toward the coiling head A, during each operating cycle of theapparatus, to withdraw the required predetermined lengths 8 of thefilament wire 7 through the wire retention jaws 50, 51 and past thecutting plane K-K of the cutter knives 133, 134 to form one completefilament 1, as shown in FIG. 11, at which time the advance movement ofthe slide 59 and subslide 104 and the feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101carried thereby is then momentarily interrupted so as to hold thefilament wire 7 still while it is severed by the cutter knives 133, 134.

Since the operating mechanisms for opening and closing the primary feedjaws 57, 58 and secondary feed jaws 100, 101 and the actuatingmechanisms for operating the cutter knives 133, 134 and effecting theadvance and retraction movement of the slide 59 and subslide 104 andtheir associated feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101, are all controlled bycams mounted on one or the other of the gear-interconnected cam shafts82 and 95, these operations therefore will occur in the desired timerelation to each other as determined by the shapes of the cam tracks onthe respective cams. The top cam shaft 82 is driven from the main driveshaft 30 of the apparatus through a gear train 168 (FIG. 1) consistingof a series of intermeshed spur gears 169, 170, 171, 172 and 173, gears169 and 173 being fastened on the ends of the shafts 30 and 82,respectively, and the other gears 170, 171 and 172 being rotatablymounted on respective pivot pins 174, 175 and 176 extending from the camshaft support bracket 85. The main cam shaft 30 is journalled at one endin bearings 177 in a gear housing portion 178 of the pedestal 179 onwhich the table 6 of the apparatus is supported, and at its other end inbearings 180 and 181 respectively carried by support bracket 85 and bythe table 6.

Wire gripping and retractable mandrel mechanism Following the severanceof the filament wire supply 7 by the cutter knives 133, 134 during eachcycle of operation of the apparatus to form the predetermined wirelengths 8, the wire feed jaws 57, 48 and 100, 101 then continue theiradvance movement toward the coiling head A to insert the free endportion 132 of the wire lengths projecting forwardly from the primaryfeed jaws 57, 58 into the guide opening 14 in the coiling spindle 12,and to then carry the said wire end portion 132 completely through theguide opening 14 and position it between the opened jaws of the filamentwire gripper means 11 of the apparatus, as shown in FIG. 13. Thefilament wire gripper means 11, and the associated mandrel 10 aroundwhich the precut wire lengths 8 are coiled, ar carried by the slide headB which, together with the actuating mechanism therefore, may be of thegeneral type heretofore 1n use.

In each operative cycle of the apparatus to form a completed filament 1,the filament wire gripper means 11 of the slide head B clamps and holds,in position alongside the mandrel 10, the free end portion 132 of thewire length 8 which projects forwardly from the coiling spindle 12 andwhich subsequently forms the uncoiled front end leg 3 of the completedfilament 1. During the ensuing coiling of the wire length 8 around themandrel 10 by the coiling spindle 12 to form the coiled portion 2 of thefilament 1, the wire gripper means 11 and the mandrel 10' retract fromthe coiling spindle in unison and at a uniform rate of speed to therebycontrol the pitch of the wire turns as they are being wound around themandrel. As soon as the coiling spindle 12 stops rotating, upon windingof the required number of turns of the wire lengths 8 on the mandrel 10to form the coil portion 2 of the filament 1, the mandrel 10 and wiregripper means 11 are then retracted in unison a further distance,preferably at an increased rate of speed, to withdraw the uncoiledtrailing end leg portion 4 of the completed filament 1 from the coilingspindle 12 so as to lie clear thereof to permit the subsequent removalof the completed filament from the apparatus. Thereupon, the mandrel 10is further retracted, while the filament wire gripper means 11 is heldstationary, to thereby withdraw the mandrel from within the coil portion2 of the filament 1 as well as from within the mandrel guide opening inthe filament wire gripper means 11, and then open the filament wiregripper means so as to release the grip thereof on the filament 1 andpermit the removal of the latter from the apparatus.

In its general organization, the slide head B is comprised of amandrel-carrying center spindle or slide rod 182 axially aligned withthe axis of rotation of the coiling spindle 12 and slidable within asurrounding sleeve 183 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which carries the filament wiregripper means 11. The sleeve 183 is slidably mounted for horizontalreciprocating movement, in a direction parallel to the axis of rotationof the coiling spindle 12, within suitable slide bearings (not shown) ina housing 184 mounted on the bedplate 5. Both the spindle 182 and thesleeve 183, however, are non-rotatable in the bearing housing 184, andthey project from the opposite ends thereof. The mandrel 10 is fastenedwithin and projects forwardly from the front end of the spindle 182toward the coiling head A in exact alignment with the axis of rotationof the coiling spindle 12 and with the mandrel guide opening 13 thereinso as to enter the said opening, and thus become supported by thecoiling spindle, when the mandrel-carrying center spindle 182 isadvanced to its forwardmost position within the bearing housing 184 inreadiness for the start of the filament wire coiling operation.

As shown more particularly in FIG. 12, the filament wire gripper means11, which is carried by the center spindle 182 of the slide head B andalso serves as a guide means for the mandrel 10, is comprised of a pairof cooperating opposed jaws 185 and 186 upstanding from the forward endsof respective jaw arms 187 and 188 which are pivotally mounted beneaththe center spindle 182, for

swinging movement in a horizontal plane about a common vertical axis, ona common pivot pin 189 carried by a bracket arm 190 extending forwardlytoward the coiling head B from the front end of the sleeve 183 beneaththe center spindle 182 projecting therefrom. Jaw 185 is provided with afiat jaw face 191 against which the free end portion 132 of the wirelength 8 projecting from the coiling spindle 12 is clamped, in positionat the bottom of the V of a V-shaped lip 192 on the front end of the jaw185, by the flat end face 193 of the other or clamping block jaw 186,when the two jaws 185, 186 are swung to their closed position inreadiness for the start of the wire coiling operation. In the saidclosed position of jaw 185, the bottom of the V-notch in the lip 192thereon is axially aligned with the wire guide opening 14 in the coilingspindle 12 in the idle rotative position thereof which it occupies atthe start of the wire coiling operation. The V- notched lip 192 on thejaw 185 serves as a gathering or pick-up means to catch and gatherthereinto, and thus properly position in the jaw 185, the projectingfree end portion 132 of the wire length 8 in the coiling spindle 12 whenthe jaw 185 is swung to its closed position while located in itsadvanced or forwardmost position immediately contiguous the coilingspindle 12 just before the start of the wire coiling operation. The jaw185 is provided with a guide opening 194 (FIG. 12) for the mandrel 10,the guide opening 194 extending through the jaw 185 in a direction suchas to be in axial alignment with the corresponding mandrel guide opening13 in the coiling spindle 12 when the jaw 185 is in its closed oroperative position and the coiling spindle is in its idle rotativeposition. The guide opening 194 is formed with an outwardly funneled orflared rearward end 195 for the purpose of guiding the front end of themandrel into the guide opening 194 during the advance movement of themandrel 10 toward the coiling head A to insert it into the guide opening13 in the coiling spindle 12.

Jaw arm 188 is spring-loaded so that the jaw 186 thereof will bespring-pressed against the free end portion 132 of the wire length 8 toclamp it in place between the two jaws 185, 186 when they are in theirclosed position. For this purpose, the jaw arm 188 is hinged to anoperating lever 196 by a vertical pivot pin 197, and a compression coilspring 198 (FIG. 10) is compressed between the forwardly extending arm199 of the operating lever and the jaw arm 188 so as to exert springpressure on the latter tending to swing or pivot it in the direction toclose the jaw 186 carried thereby. Outward swinging movement of the jawarm 188 to open the jaw 186 is imparted thereto by the lever 196 throughthe engagement of the arm 199 thereof with a stop nut 200 and a stopscrew 201 which is screw-threaded into the jaw arm 188 and extendsloosely through an opening 202 in the arm 199 of lever 196 so as to movefreely therethrough. Jaw arm 187 and lever 196 are provided withrearwardly extending cam follower arm portions 203 and 204,respectively, carrying rollers 205 and 206 which are engaged withrespective cam tracks 207 and 208 formed on the opposite sides of themandrel-carrying center spindle 182. The rollers 205, 206 are held incontinuous engagement with their respective cam tracks 207, 208 by theforce of a tension coil spring 209 connected across the cam follower armportions 203 and 204 of the jaw arm 187 and lever 196, the spring 209being connected at its opposite ends to spring posts 210 and 211extending from the respective arm portions 203 and 204. The opening andclosing of the filament wire gripping jaws 185, 186 is thus controlledby the forward and rearward sliding movement of the center spindle 182and the associated cam tracks 207, 208- thereon relative to the camfollower rollers 205, 206 on the jaw arm 187 and operating lever 196.The jaws 185, 186 are opened when the center spindle 182 is retractedrelative to the jaw arm 187 and lever 196 to locate the low portions 212and 213 of the respective cam tracks 207, 208 opposite 1 6 the followerrollers 205 and 206, and they are closed when the center spindle 182 isadvanced relative to the jaw arm 187 and lever 196 to locate the highportions 214 and 215 of the respective cam tracks 207 and 208 oppositethe cooperating follower rollers 205 and 206.

The sliding movement of the sleeve 183 within the slide housing 184 toadvance and retract the filament wire gripper jaws 185, 186 is impartedto the sleeve by actuating means comprising a vertically extendingoperating lever 216 which is pivoted intermediate its ends on ahorizontal pivot pin 217 extending from a bearing support bracket 218fastened on the bedplate 5 and is provided with a forked upper end thearms 219 of which straddle the center spindle 182 and are pivotallyconnected, by a pair of horizontally extending connecting links 220, toears 221 extending rearwardly from the rear end of the sleeve 183. Thelower end of the operating lever 216 carries a cam follower roller 222which is engaged with the cam track 223 of a cylindrical cam 224 mountedon the main drive shaft 30 of the apparatus. The roller 222 on lever 216is continuously held in engagement with the cam track 223 of cam 224,and the sleeve 183 and its associated filament wire gripper jaws 185,186 continuously urged forwardly toward the coiling head A to theiradvanced position, as determined by the engagement of a stop screw 225on the rear end of the sleeve with the rear end face of the slidehousing 184, by the force of a tension coil spring 226 which isconnected at its opposite ends to spring posts 227 and 228,respectively, extending from the slide housing 184 and from the rear endof the sleeve 183.

The sliding movement of the center spindle 182 to advance and retractthe mandrel 10 carried thereby and open and close the filament wiregripper jaws 185, 1% carried by the sleeve 183, is imparted to thespindle 182 by actuating means comprised, in part, of a verticallyextending operating lever 229 pivoted intermediate its ends on a pivotpin 230 extending from the bearing support bracket 218 and is pivotallyconnected at its upper end, by a horizontally extending connecting link231, to the rearward end of the center spindle 182. The lower end of theoperating lever 229 carries a cam follower roller 232 which engages withthe cam track 233 of a cylindrical cam 234 mounted on the main driveshaft 30 of the apparatus. The spindle 182 and the mandrel 10 carriedthereby are continuously urged forwardly toward the coiling head A by ahorizontally extending tension coil spring 235 connected at its oppositeends to spring posts 236 and 237 respectively extending from the slidehousing 184 and from the upper arm of the lever 229. The forward slidingmovement of the center spindle 182 relative to the sleeve 183, under theinfluence of the spring 235, is limited by the engagement of a stopscrew 238 extending from a swivel slide bearing 239 carried by theconnecting link 231, with the rearward end of a horizontally extendingpush rod 240 which is carried by the upper end of the operating lever216 and which extends rearwardly therefrom and is slidable in the slidebearing 239. The slide bearing 239 swivels on the pivot pin whichpivotally connects the upper end of operating lever 229 to theconnecting link 231 while the push rod 240 swivels on the pivot pinwhich connects one of the yoke arms 219 on the upper end of operatinglever 216 to the associated connecting link 220. The timing of cams 223and 234 and the shape of their respective cam tracks 223 and 233 aresuch that the cam track 233 on cam 234 is completely disengaged from theroller 232 on the operating lever 229, and the latter held free of anycontrol by the cam 234, from the time during each operating cycle of theapparatus when the wire coiling operation first begins until the sleeve183 and the jaws 185, 186 carried thereby are moved back to theirretracted inoperative position away from the coiling head A. During thisperiod of each op- 17 erating cycle, the sliding movement of themandrel-carrying spindle 182 is under the control instead of the sleeve183, by virtue of the action of the spring 235 in urging the upper endof the operating lever 229 and the slide bearing 239 thereon forwardlyto thereby hold the stop screw 238 on the slide bearing 239 in abuttingengagement with the rearward ends of the push rod 240 which is connectedto and moves along with the sleeve 183. As a result, the sleeve 183 andspindle 182, and thus the filament wire gripping jaws 185, 186 andmandrel respectively carried thereby, retract in unison with one anotherfrom the coiling head A, under the action of the cam 224 acting onoperating lever 216 during the coiling of each wire length 8 andsubsequent withdrawal of the trailing leg 4 of each completed filament 1from the coiling spindle 12.

Filament coiling machines of the general type such as described hereinare generally employed as an operative component of an automatic lampmount making machine having a transfer mechanism incorporating aswinging or other type movable arm 241, as shown diagrammatically indash-dot lines in FIG. 12, for grasping the completed filaments 1,centrally of their coiled portion 2, as they are released from thefilament gripping jaws 185, 186 of the filament coil forming apparatus,and then transferring the filaments to the lamp stem supported in thework-carrying head of the mount making machine, for attachment to thelead-in wires of the lamp stem. To permit fabrication of filaments 1 ofvarious coil lengths or overall lengths while still remaining centeredor otherwise positioned with respect to the transfer arm 241 of themount making machine, the bedplate 5 of the filament coil formingapparatus according to the invention is horizontally adjustable on thetable 6 in a direction lengthwise of the coiling mandrel 10. For thispurpose, the bottom surface of the bedplate 5 and top surface of thetable 6 are formed with one or more guideways 242 and cooperating slidebearings 243 (FIG. 1), respectively, to permit longitudinal slidingmovement of the bedplate 5 relative to the table 6. Adjustment screwmeans 244 interconnecting the bedplate 5 and table 6 at one end thereofmay be provided for adjusting the longitudinal position thereof relativeto one another. Since the support bracket 21-8 on which the operatinglevers 21 6, 229 are pivoted is fastened on the bedplate 5, the pivotcenters of the operating levers 216, 229 therefore will remain in thesame operative relationship to the sleeve 183 and center spindle 182 inany adjusted position of the bedplate on the table 6. However, tomaintain the same operative relationship of the cams 224, 234 to theirrespective operating levers 216, 229, in any adjusted position of thebedplate '5 on the table 6, the cams 224, 234 are fixedly secured on asleeve 245 which is slidable on but rotatively interlocked with the maindrive shaft 30, and which is journalled in but locked against axialmovement relative to the bearing portion 189 of the support bracket 85for the gear train 168. Since the bracket 85 is fastened on the bedplate5 and moves therewith, and since the sleeve .245 is locked against axialmovement in this bracket, any adjustment therefore of the bedplaterelative to the table 6 will result in a corresponding adjustment of thesleeve 245 and the associated cams 224 and 234, thereby maintaining thepositional relationship of these cams relative to operating levers 216,229. To assure continuity of the gear train drive for the coilingspindle 12, in any adjusted position of the bedplate 5 on the table 6,the gear 25 on the intermittent drive shaft 26 is made sufficiently wideto remain in meshed engagement with the gear 24 carried on the bedplate5, in any such adjusted position of the latter.

In the operation of the apparatus according to the invention to form afilament 1, the primary feed jaws 57, 58 and secondary feed jaws 100,101 of the wire feeding means C are initially in their retractedposition (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) immediately contiguous theretention fingers 50, 51 of the wire retention means 42, at the start ofeach filament forming cycle of the apparatus. While thus positioned, thecoiling spindle 12 of the coiling head A and the mandrel 10 and filamentwire gripping jaws 185, 186 are still operating to form the previouslyprecut wire length 8 into a filament 1.

In their said retracted position, both the primary wire feed jaws 57, 58and the secondary feed jaws 100, 101 are held in their opened positionby their respective operating plate cams 74 and 117. The primary feedjaws 57, 58 are then closed by spring 70, through the movement of platecam 74 out of engagement with the roller 73 on jaw arm 67, so as to gripthe free end portion 132 of the filament wire 7 projecting from theretention fingers 50, '51. The closed primary feed jaws 57, 58 are thenadvanced toward the coiling head A, by the forward sliding movement ofthe main slide 59 by its actuating means, so as to withdraw the filamentwire 7 from the supply spool 9 and through the retention fingers 50, 51.During the course of the advance movement of the main slide 59 to effectthis wire withdrawal, the forwardly facing shoulder 114' on the mainslide 59 abuts against the back end 104' of the subslide 104 to causethe subslide, and the secondary wire feed jaws 100, 101 carried thereby,to be advanced along and in unison with the main slide. The advancingsecondary feed jaws 100, 101 are then closed, by the movement of platecam 117 out of engagement with the roller on jaw arm 103, so as -to alsogrip the advancing supply of filament wire 7 at a predetermined distanceback from the primary feed jaws 57, 58.

When the required length 8 of filament wire 7 has been withdrawn by theadvancing feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101 past the cutting plane KK of thecutter knives 133, 134 of the wire cutting mechanism 45 to form onecomplete filament 1 (FIG. 12), the advance movement of the feed jaws andthe filament wire 7 gripped therein is momentarily interrupted, by theaction of the cams 94 and that control the sliding movement of the mainslide 59 and subslide 104 which carry the feed jaws, and the cutterknives 133, 134 then actuated, by the action of cam 167 on the cutterknife operating mechanism, to thereby sever'the advanced wire length 8from the remainder of the filament wire supply 7. The feed jaws 57, 58and 100, 101 then resume their advance movement toward the coiling headA, through the action of the cam 94 on the actuating rod 89 for theslide 59 and the latter pushing against the subslide 104, to advance thefree end portion 132 of the precut wire length 8 into the wire guideopening 14 in the coiling spindle 12 of the coiling head A. Just beforethe free end portion 132 of the precut wire length 8 is thus insertedinto the guide opening 14 of the coiling spindle by the advancing feedjaws 57, 58, the trailing end leg portion 4 of the previously formedfilament 1 still gripped in the jaws 185, 186 of the filament wiregripper means 11 is withdrawn from the guide opening 14 in the coilingspindle 12, by the retraction movement of the jaws 185, 186 away fromthe coiling head A, so as to clear the said opening 14 for the insertionthereinto of the free end 132 of the wire length 8 then being advancedinto the coiling head A by the wire feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101.During the last portion of their advance movement toward the coilinghead A, the closed primary feed jaws 57, 58 enter the rearwardly openingrecess 88 in the back of the coiling spindle 12, as shown in FIG. 12, toinsert the projecting portion 132 of the wire length 8 held by the jawsinto the then aligned guide opening 14 in the coiling spindle 12, theflared out rear or entrance end of the guide opening 14 serving as afunnel to guide the advancing wire end portion 132 into thewire-confining guide portion of the guide opening 14.

The instant or just before the primary feed jaws 57,

58 reach the limit of their advance movement into the recess 88 in thecoiling spindle 12, the jaws 57, 58 are opened, by the engagement ofplate cam 74 with the roller 73 on the jaw arm 67, to release their gripon the precut wire length 8. The closed secondary feed jaws 100, 101,however, continue their advance movement uninterruptedly toward thecoiling spindle 12, through the continued forward sliding movement ofthe subslide 104 under the action of its control cam 130, until theyreach their forwardmost position, as shown in FIG. 13. This continuedadvance movement of the secondary feed jaws 100, 101 carries the freeend portion 132 of the wire length 8 completely through the guideopening 14 in the coiling spindle 12 and a sufiicient distance outwardlytherebeyond to insert the exact length of the wire end portion 132required to form the front end leg 3 of the filament 1 to be formed, inclamping position between the opened jaws 185, 186 of the filament wiregripper means 11, the said jaws 185, 186 being at that time in theirforwardmost advanced position (FIG. 13) immediately contiguous the frontend face of the coiling spindle 12, as determined by the engagement ofthe stop screw 225 on the jaw-carrying sleeve 183 with the slide housing184, and both jaws also being in their fully opened position (as shownin FIG. 12). While the wire length 8 is thus held in clamping positionby the secondary feed jaws 100, 101, the center spindle 182 of the slidehead B is advanced toward the coiling head A, by the operation of cam234 acting on the actuating lever 229 for the spindle, to first positionthe high portion 214 of the cam track 207 on the spindle 182 oppositethe roller 205 on jaw arm 187 so as to swing the V-jaw 185 of thefilament wire gripping means 11 into its closed position and bring themandrel guide opening 194 therein in alignment with the mandrel 10projecting forwardly from the center spindle 182. The continued furtheradvance movement of the center spindle 182 toward the coiling head Athen positions the high portion 215 of cam track 208 on the spindle 182opposite the roller 206 on the operating lever 196 for the jaw 186 ofthe filament wire gripping means 11 to cause the lever 196 to swing thejaw arm 188, through the coil spring 198, so as to close the jaw 186 toclamp the end portion 132 of the Wire length 8 between the jaw faces 191and 193 of the two jaws 185, 186. The center spindle 182 continues itsadvance movement toward the coiling head A to insert the mandrel 10 intoand carry it through the guide opening 194 therefor in the filament wiregripping jaw 185 and then insert the free end of the mandrel 10 into theguide opening 13 therefor in the coiling spindle 12. The advancemovement of the center spindle 182 is limited by the engagement of thestop screw 238 on the swivel slide bearing 239 with the end of the pushrod 240 connected to the sleeve 183. At this point, the wire length 8 isheld in position in readiness for the start of the wire coilingoperation.

The coiling spindle 12 is now rotated by its drive gear 18 and theassociated intermittent drive mechanism therefor through the requirednumber of full turns to form the coil portion 3 of the filament 1, whilethe filament wire gripping jaws 185, 186 and the mandrel 10 are at thesame time retracted in unison away from the coiling spindle 12 at auniform rate of speed to impart the desired pitch to the turns of thewire coil 3. The unitary retraction of the filament wire gripper jaws185, 186 and the mandrel 10 is produced by the cam 224 acting throughthe operating lever 216 connected to the sleeve 183 and through theengagement of the push rod 240 on the upper end of the operating lever216 with the stop screw 238 carried by the swivel slide bearing 239connected to the center spindle 182. Meanwhile, the primary andsecondary feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101 return to their initialretracted starting postion to start their next cycle of operation tofeed another wire length 8 to the coiling spindle 12 for formation intothe next filament to be formed. The coiling spindle 12 stops rotating assoon as the required number of full turns of the wire length 8 have beenwound around the 20 retracting mandrel 10 to form the coil portion 2 ofthe filament 1. Thereupon, the filament wire gripping jaws 185, 186 andmandrel 10 retract in unison a further distance sufi'icient to withdrawthe trailing end leg 4 of the now completed filament 1 from the guideopening 14 in the coiling spindle 12 so as to free the filament forremoval from the apparatus. At this time, the jaw-carrying sleeve 183 isin its fully retracted position, and the automatically operatingtransfer arm 241, where such is employed to remove the filament 1 fromthe apparatus, now grasps the completed filament 1 still being held bythe closed jaws 185, 186 of the filament wire gripper means 11. As soonas this occurs, the mandrel-carrying center spindle 182 retracts afurther distance relative to the now stationary sleeve 183, through theaction of cam 234 and operating lever 229, to withdraw the mandrel 10from within the coil portion 2 of the completed filament 1 and cause thejaw 186 to swing to its open position through the locating of the lowportion 213 of the cam track 208 on the spindle 182 opposite the roller206 on the arm 196 which controls the opening and closing of the jaw186. With the jaw 186 thus swung open to release its grip on thefilament 1, the transfer arm 241 then operates to withdraw the filamentfrom the jaw and transfer it to the filament mounting position of anassociated lamp mount making machine. The center spindle 182 meanwhilecontinues to retract, through the action of cam 234 and operating lever229, to its fully retracted position as shown in FIG. 12, to firstwithdraw the mandrel 10 from the guide opening 194 in the jaw 185 so asto permit the latter to be then swung to its open position by thelocating of the low portion 212 of the cam track 207 opposite the roller205 on the jaw arm 187 which controls the opening and closing of the jaw185. By this time, the wire feed jaws 57, 58 and 100, 101 of the wirefeeding mechanism have advanced the next succeeding precut wire length 8into the guide opening 14 in the coiling head A for the start of thenext filament coiling operation. The center spindle 182 and sleeve 183of the slide head B then begin their advance stroke toward the coilinghead A to locate the filament wire gripping means 11 and the mandrel 10in their advanced operative positions once again for the start of thenext filament coiling operation.

Since the operation of the wire feeding and cutoff mechanism C to cut awire length 8 from the wire supply 7 and feed it into position withinthe coiling head A for the start of the wire coiling operation takesplace during the time the preceding precut wire length 8 is being coiledaround the mandrel and the completed filament 1 withdrawn from thecoiling head A, and removed from the jaws 185, 186 of the slide head Bby the transfer arm 241, there is therefore no time lapse or wasted timebetween the operating cycles of the wire feeding and cut-oft mechanism Cand the slide head mechanism B of the apparatus. Thus, the maximumpossible filament production rate by the apparatus is assured, aslimited only by the time required for the slowest operating one of thetwo mechanisms B and C to perform its respective operating cycle.

From the above description, it will be apparent that we have provided afilament forming apparatus that possesses many advantages over the priortype apparatus, the most important one of which is, of course, thegreatly increased filament production rate resulting from theseveralfold reduction in the mass of the rotating coiling spindle whichIs realized by the incorporation into the apparatus of the novelfilament wire feeding and cut-oft mechanism C according to the inventionwhereby the coiling spindle is mounted independently of, i.e.,non-unitary with, the wire feeding mechanism of the apparatus. Becauseof its greatly reduced mass, the coiling spindle can be rotated at muchhlgher coiling speeds than heretofore possible without lIl'lPOSllIgexcessive inertial loads on the apparatus, thereby atfordlng theaforementioned greatly increased filament production rate.

The mounting of the coiling spindle independently of 21 the filamentwire feeding mechanism, in the filament forming apparatus according tothe invention, also obviates the need for respooling the filament wiresupply, as it is con ventionally received on comparatively large sizereels from the wire drawing factory, onto relatively small size spoolsor bobbins. Such wire respooling has been the customary practiceheretofore with prior type filament forming apparatus in order tothereby minimize the total mass of its rotative coiling spindle assemblyand its limiting effect on the rotational coiling speed of the coilingspindle. By eliminating the respooling of the filament wire supply andthe attendant cost thereof, and permitting the use instead of thecomparatively large size filament wire supply reels as they are receiveddirectly from the wire drawing factory, the length of time during whichthe filament forming apparatus according to the invention maybe-continuously operated without interruption, before it must be stoppedto permit the replacement of an empty filament wire supply reel with afull one, is increased bya very appreciable amount. Thus, in practice, afilament forming apparatus according to the invention need be stoppedfor reloading thereof with a full filament wire supply reel only once orso during a continuous eight hour period of operation, whereas the priortype apparatus ordinarily must be stopped for such purpose every halfhour or so. Moreover, the rethreading of the filament wire supply intooperative position within the filament forming apparatus, each time anempty filament wire supply spool or reel is replaced with a full one, isa very simple and quickly performed operation in the apparatus accordingto the invention, requiring only one or two minutes to perform, whereasit is a very complicated and time-consuming operation in the case of theprior type filament forming apparatus, requiring as long as one-quarterof an hour or more to perform. It is thus apparent that the greatlydecreased frequency of the required replacement of the emptied filamentwire supply reels with full ones, and the simplified and fasterreplacement procedure therefor in the case of the filament formingapparatus according to the invention, results in an appreciablereduction in the amount of so-called down or idle time for the apparatussuch as materially increases the production rate capacity thereof ascompared to that of the prior type filament forming apparatus.

An additional and highly important advantage of the filament formingapparatus according to the invention is the elimination of all tensionor drag in the filament wire as it is being coiled around the mandreland formed into the completed filament 1, there being no pull orrestraining force exerted on the filament wire during the coilingthereof such as occurs in the prior type filament forming apparatus byreason of the weight of the filament wire supply bobbin and the tensionnecessary thereon to keep the filament wire from tangling as it is drawnoff the bobbin during the filament coiling and forming operation. Thiselimination of all tension in the filament wire during the coilingoperation avoids the breakage of the filament wire supply whichoccasionally occurs in the prior type filament forming apparatus due tothe tension in the filament wire supply. The attendant necessity forperforming the time-consuming operation of rethr ading the brokenfilament wire supply into operative position once again in the apparatusis thereby avoided. The most important advantage, however, which isrealized by the elimination of all tension or drag in the filament wire,during the filament coiling and forming operation, is the resultingelimination of any stretching of the individual turns of the coiledfilament 1, particularly the last two or three coil turns thereof,during the pulling of the trailing leg 4 of the completed filament 1 outof the coiling spindle of the apparatus. As a result, the completedfilaments 1 are of exact uniform character throughout their entire coillength 2. In addition, the absence of any tension in the filament wire,as it is being coiled around the mandrel 10, prevents the introductioninto the filament wire of those additional internal strains which arenormally introduced thereinto by the prior type filament formingapparatus by reason of the tensioned, and ther fore taut filament wirebeing drawn across the rim edge of the coiling spindle die opening 14 asthe wire is wound around the mandrel 10. Because of their greaterfreedom from internal strains, therefore, coiled filaments 1 formed bythe apparatus according to the invention have considerably less tendencyto distort, when subsequently heated to incandescent operatingtemperature in a lamp, than similar type filaments made by the priortype filament forming apparatus.

Although a preferred embodiment of our invention has been disclosed, itwill be understood that the specific invention is not to be limited tothe specific construction and arrangement of parts shown, but that theymay be widely modified within the spirit and scope of our invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. In filament coiling apparatus of the type comprising a mandrel and acoiling spindle having a guide opening for the filament wire to becoiled around said mandrel, the combination therewith of wire feedingmeans comprising support means for rotatably mounting a supply spool offilament wire, retention means disposed between said supply spool andsaid coiling spindle and adapted to frictionally hold in place thefilament wire withdrawn from the spool through said retention means,feed jaw means located between said retention means and said coilingspindle and adapted to grip the end of the filament wire held by andprojecting forwardly from said retention means toward said coilingspindle, said feed jaw means being reciprocable toward and away fromsaid coiling spindle to withdraw a predetermined length of the filamentwire from said spool on its advance movement toward the coiling spindleand insert the leading end of the said wire length into the said guideopening in the coiling spindle, said feed jaw means constituting thesole means operative to withdraw the filament wire off said spool andadvance it endwise toward the coiling spindle, cutter means mountedbetween said retention means and said coiling spindle for severing thesaid predetermined length of filament wire from the remainder of thesupply thereof on said spool, and actuating means operatively associatedwith said wire feeding and cutter means for reciprocating and openingand closing the said feed jaw means, and actuating said cutter means, inproper time relation.

2. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 1 and comprising, inaddition, means mounting said coiling spindle independently of said wirefeeding means for rotation about the axis of said mandrel to coil thesaid severed wire length therearound, and rotary drive means coactingwith the said coiling spindle to intermittently rotate it.

3. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 2 wherein the saidcoiling spindle consists solely of a die provided with the said guideopening for the said wire length.

4. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 2 wherein the saidcoiling spindle consists solely of a die provided with the said guideopening for the said wire length and having an integral spur gearthereon, and rotary drive means comprising a drive gear meshed with thesaid spur gear on said coiling spindle to intermittently rotate it.

5. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein the saidwire feeding and cutter means is actuated by the said actuating meanstherefor to cut off and feed each successive one of said wire lengthsduring the time the preceding one of said wire lengths is being coiledaround the mandrel by said coiling spindle and withdrawn therefrom.

6. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein the saidactuating means comprises a plate cam 23 movable into and out ofengagement with cam follower means on said feed jaw means to effect theopening and closing thereof.

7. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein theadvance movement of said feed jaw means toward said coiling spindle bythe said actuating means is momentarily interrupted during the operationof said cutter means to sever the said predetermined length of filamentwirefrom the remainder of the supply thereof on said spool.

8. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 1 wherein the saidfeed jaw means comprises a pair of primary feed jaws adapted to grip thefree end portion of the filament wire held by said retention means and apair of secondary feed jaws adapted to grip the portion of the filamentwire trailing from said primary feed jaws during the advance movementthereof toward said coiling spindle, said primary and secondary feedjaws being reciprocable relative to one another toward and away fromsaid coiling spindle, and said actuating means being operative toterminate the advance movement of and open the said primary feed jawsupon insertion of the leading end of the severed filament wire lengthinto the guide opening in the coiling spindle and to thereafter continuethe advance movement of said secondary feed jaws and the said severedfilament wire length held therein to thereby carry the said leading endof said wire length completely through the guide opening in the coilingspindle so as to project therefrom.

9. In filament coiling apparatus of the type comprising a mandrel and acoiling spindle having a guide opening for the filament wire to becoiled around said mandrel, a base, wire feeding means comprisingsupport means on said base for rotatably mounting a supplying spool offilament wire, retention means mounted on said base between said supplyspool and said coiling spindle and adapted to frictionally hold in placethe filament wire with drawn from said spool through said retentionmeans, filament wire transport means comprising a slide member slidablymounted on said base for reciprocating movement toward and away fromsaid coiling spindle in a direction longitudinally of the said guideopening therein, feed jaw means mounted on said slide member betweensaid retention means and said coiling spindle and adapted to grip thefilament wire held by and projecting forwardly from said retention meanstoward said coiling spindle, feed jaw operating means coacting with saidfeed jaw means to open and close the latter, slide actuating meanscoacting with said slide member to reciprocate it, said feed jawoperating means and said slide actuating means operating in timedrelation to close the said feed jaw means in the retracted positionthereof so as to grip the end of the filament wire held by andprojecting forwardly from said retention means and to then advance thesaid slide member and the closed feed jaw means thereon toward saidcoiling spindle to withdraw a predetermined length of the filament wirefrom said spool and insert the leading end thereof into the said guideopening in the coiling spindle, said filament wire transport meansconstituting the sole means operative to with draw the filament wire offsaid spool and advance it endwise toward the coiling spindle, cuttermeans mounted on said base between said retention means and said coilingspindle and operative to sever the said predetermined length of filamentwire from the remainder of the supply thereof on said spool, and cutteractuation means coacting with said cutter means to actuate the latter intimed relation with the advance movement of said slide member and thefeed jaw means thereon toward said coiling spindle.

10. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 9 and comprising,in addition, means mounting said coiling spindle independently of saidwire feeding means for rotation about the axis of said mandrel to coilthe said severed wire length therearound, and rotary drive meanscoacting with the said coiling spindle to rotate the latter.

11. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 10 wherein the saidcoiling spindle consists solely of a die provided with the said guideopening for the said wire length.

12. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 9 wherein the saidfeed jaw operating means comprises a plate cam movable into and out ofengagement with cam follower means on said feed jaw means to effect theopening and closing thereof.

13. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 9 wherein saidslide actuating means is operative to momentarily interrupt the advancemovement of said slide member and associated feed jaw means during theoperation of said cutter means to sever the said predetermined length offilament wire from the remainder of the supply thereof on said spool.

14. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 9 wherein the saidfeed jaw means comprises a pair of primary feed jaws mounted on saidslide member and adapted to grip the free end portion of the filamentwire held by said retention means and a pair of secondary feed jawsadapted to grip the portion of the filament wire trailing from saidprimary feed jaws during the advance movement thereof toward saidcoiling spindle, said apparatus further comprising a subslide slidablymounted on said base for reciprocating movement independently of saidslide member toward and away from said coiling spindle in a directionlongitudinally of the said guide opening therein, said secondary feedjaws being mounted on said subslide, and subslide actuating meanscoacting with said subslide to reciprocate it independently of saidslide member toward and away from said coiling spindle, said feed jawoperating means and said slide and subslide actuating means operating intimed relation to close said secondary feed jaw means so as to grip thesaid predetermined wire length portion of the filament wire during thewithdrawal thereof by said primary feed jaws and to then advance thesaid subslide in unison with said slide member and subsequentlyterminate the advance movement of said slide member and open the saidprimary feed jaws upon insertion of the leading end of the severedfilament wire length into the guide opening of the coiling spindle whilecontinuing the advance moveunent of said subslide and associatedsecondary feed jaws to thereby carry the leading end of said wire lengthcompletely through the said guide opening so as to project from thecoiling spindle.

15. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 14 wherein the saidslide actuating means and said sub slide actuating means are operativeto momentarily interrupt the said advance movement in unison of saidslide member and said subslide during the operation of said cutter meansto sever the said predetermined length of filament wire from theremainder of the supply thereof on said spool.

16. Filament coiling apparatus as specified in claim 14 wherein at leastone of the jaws of each pair of said primary and secondary feed jawscomprises a springloaded pivoted jaw, the said pivoted jaws beingrespectively pivoted on said slide member and said subslide.

17. Filament coiling apparatus comprising a table, a bedplate mounted onsaid table, a slide head mounted on said bedplate and having a mandrelaxially slidable therein, a coiling spindle rotatably mounted on saidbedplate in opposed relation to said mandrel for rotation about the axisthereof to coil a filament wire therearound, said bedplate beingslidable on said table for adjustment thereon in a direction parallel tothe axis of said mandrel to permit location of the coiled sections offilaments formed thereon to various coil lengths in the same axialcentered position relative to said table, an operating lever pivoted onsaid bedplate and connected to said mandrel to effect sliding movementthereof, a drive shaft mounted on said table and carrying a camengageable with said operating lever to effect pivotal movement thereof,and a sleeve on said shaft slidable thereon but rotatively in- 25 26terlocked therewith, said cam being fixedly secured on 2,705,027 3/1955Sanborn 140-71 said sleeve and said sleeve being rotatably mounted on2,890,736 6/ 1959 Wittek 7266 but locked against axial movement relativeto said bed- 2,816,594 12/1957 Van Broekhoven 72--65 plate whereby thesaid cam occupies the same positional 3,001,566 9/1961 Eans et al.140---71.5 relation to the said operating lever in any adjusted posi- 53,227,195 1/ 1966 Stegmann 14071 tion of the bedplate relative to thetable.

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. References E. M. COMBS, AssistantExaminer. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,179,296 11/1939 Jden 72 132 12,439,893 4/1948 Iden 72.131 7266, 131, 132, 133, 135, 142; 14092.2

